1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a protective mouthguard for use in athletics and more particularly, to an improved protective mouthguard assembly which can be selectively tethered from a helmet or around the user's neck for easy attachment and removal. The present invention also includes a protective case.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
A number of mouthguards currently exist in the art for protecting the teeth and for reducing the chance of shock, concussions and other injuries as a result of high impact collisions and blows during athletic competition. In general, mouthguards existing in the art can be placed into two broad categories: tethered and untethered. Untethered mouthguards are commonly fabricated by dentists to fit the exact contour of the user's teeth or are manufactured in a single configuration, with the user trimming the mouthguard to the correct size with a scissors and then molding the mouthguard to his or her teeth after softening the mouthguard in boiling water. An example of this latter mouthguard is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,501 issued to Greenberg.
In athletic activities which utilize a helmet or other protective headgear, and in particular in high impact sports such as football and hockey, it is desirable for the mouthpiece to be tethered to the helmet or to the face mask. The principal reasons are twofold. First, having the mouthguard tethered to the helmet or face mask eliminates the chance that the mouthguard will be lost or misplaced and secondly, and perhaps most important, a number of instances have arisen where the user inadvertently swallows the mouthguard as a result of impact or otherwise during activity. This can result in the user choking on the mouthpiece, thus causing severe injury or death.
The tethered mouthpieces that currently exist in the art are generally of once piece construction comprising a moldable mouthpiece and an integrally formed tether strap constructed of the same material as the mouthpiece and extending from the mouthpiece for connection to a helmet or the like. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,044,762 and 3,312,218, both issued to Jacobs, are illustrative of such a tethered mouthguard. Another tethered mouthguard in which the tether is removable from the mouthguard is shown in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,501. In this patent, the tether strap is constructed of the same material as the mouthguard.
There are several limitations relating to presently existing tethered mouthguards. First, because the tether straps are constructed of the same material as the mouthguard, the straps are generally quite wide in order to prevent the same from inadvertently breaking. As a result, the straps are stiff and cumbersome and have a relatively limited flexibility. Therefore, it is often difficult for players to comfortably position the mouthpiece in the mouth, particularly for younger players, without noticing or being affected by the general stiffness and inflexibility of the tether strap. These tether straps also tend to further stiffen and curl over time.
Secondly, for this same reason, the tethered mouthguards in the prior art are, for the most part, limited to connection to the face mask of a helmet in a position in which the tether strap extends directly in front of the user's mouth. The general stiffness and inflexibility of the prior art tether straps makes it difficult to connect the tether strap off center or to a side portion of the headgear in the event there is no face mask.
Thirdly, because the tether strap is constructed of the same material as the mouthguard, which is generally stiff, it is often difficult, particularly for younger players, to connect the mouthguard to the helmet since it involves forcing an enlarged portion of one end of the tether strap through a small opening along the length of the tether strap.
Fourthly, the tether straps of the prior art, for the most part, are difficult to remove and will virtually never be removed. If the helmet is removed from the user as a result of a high impact collision or the like, this results in the mouthpiece being violently pulled from the user's mouth, thus also giving rise to serious injury.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved protective mouthguard for use in athletic competition, and in particular, an improved tethered mouthguard which is safer, is provided with a quick release or break-away feature and which results in improved comfort and flexibility for the user.